Expectations & Comparables
This got me thinking about what sort of comparable experiences we might use to baseline our expectations upon. So I asked ChatGPT to build a table for our use:
| Ride | Disney Resort Park | Year Built | Length (min) | Sq.Ft of Building (est.) | Boat Size (riders) | Theoretical Hourly Capacity (est.) | # of Show Scenes (est.) | # of Audio‑Animatronics (est.) | Cost Today (USD, est.) | Drops/Thrill Elements? | Notes |
|---|
| Frozen Ever After (HK) | Hong Kong Disneyland | 2023 | 5 | ~70,000 sq ft | 16 | ~1,000 | ~8–10 | ~20–30 | ~$300 M | Yes – small backward drop | Based on EPCOT ride, enhanced |
| Tangled (Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival) | Tokyo DisneySea | 2024 | 5 | ~80–100k sq ft | 16 | ~1,200 | ~7–8 | ~15–20 | $250–350 M | No | Calm, romantic boat ride |
| Frozen (Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey) | Tokyo DisneySea | 2024 | 6.5 | ~100,000 sq ft | 16 | ~1,000 | ~8–10 | ~20–30 | $300–400 M | Yes – backward segment, small drop | More elaborate than HK version |
| Mystic Manor | Hong Kong Disneyland | 2013 | 7 | ~60,000 sq ft | ~8 | ~1,200 | 10–12 | 40–50 | ~$150 M | Yes – fast motion, spin | Trackless, chaotic energy |
| Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage | Tokyo DisneySea | 2001 (rev. 2007) | ~10 | ~50,000 sq ft | 8 | ~800 | ~12–15 | ~30–40 | $80–120 M | No | Gentle, musical dark ride |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure | Shanghai Disneyland | 2016 | ~10 | ~80,000 sq ft | 8 | ~1,000 | ~12–15 | 40–60 | ~$200 M | Yes – high-speed, directional shifts | High-tech motion base boats |
| Na’vi River Journey | Animal Kingdom | 2017 | 10 | ~70,000 sq ft | 8–12 | ~1,200 | ~15 | 30+ | ~$200 M | No | Peaceful, bioluminescent setting |
| Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros | EPCOT | 2007 (overlay of 1982 ride) | 12 | ~90,000 sq ft | 8 | ~1,500 | ~18–20 | ~15–20 | ~$30–50 M (overlay only) | No | Features screens, music, and 3 AAs |
| El Río del Tiempo | EPCOT | 1982 | 12 | ~90,000 sq ft | 8 | ~1,500 | 20–25 | 50–70 | ~$900 M (inflation adj.) | No | Replaced by Gran Fiesta Tour |
| It’s a Small World | Disneyland | 1966 | 15 | ~50,000 sq ft | 16 | ~1,800 | ~25 | 300+ | ~$500 M (inflation adj.) | No | Gentle boat ride for all ages |
Note: A lot of these estimates are clearly very funky, especially inflation adjusted estimates, Rio del Tiempo costing $1B but mystic manor is $150M?
Generally for expectations, 5 minutes seems to be the minimum if the table is to be trusted. Even if that includes some lower density "chill" time and no drops.
I'm
hoping, we get something more along the lines of Tokyo FEA, 6-7 minutes, a few minor drops to punctuate the experience, and tons of charming AAs - even if they are more limited than the super expensive Tiana's ones I want to see tons and tons of skeleton people moving just enough to be convincing. The 2.5D tech used for MMRR would be highly effective if utilized in a more supporting manner here, backing up the large # of skeletons
My unreasonable dream is they go hard and we get a wests coast Coco version of Sinbad from Tokyo - the puppet aesthetic and the Dia de los Muertos feel like a match made in heaven and at least for my understanding, seem like a great way to put a ton of show elements on stage without breaking the bank on hyper realistic human AAs
the Lantern scene easily clears the outdoor scene no? But I am a fan of having more show elements that you can experience without needing to be on the specific ride: more stuff like Splash's train scene, the Peoplemover going through other rides, or even like Berk at Epic or this Tangled scene
I'm very curious to see what comes of this space, I think Coco will mark the end of the "Pixar Pier" zone and set up a Plaza area that can serve as secondary hub/roundabout for people moving between the Pier, Simba lot and the Mermaid/Performance Corridor direction.
If Disney plan to utilize Encanto, Moana or other IP that are similarly distant from the California roots of the theme, having a somewhat generic Spanish colonial port of call acting as the nexus point between those areas makes some (typically tenuous Late Disney logic) sense. Way back when in the 1700s, California was indeed part of a global maritime trade network that connected Alta California with central Mexico, New Granada in Colombia and the Philippines in the South China Sea.
As for what they specifically choose to do with what's left of Paradise Gardens, Goofy, Jellyfish and Zephyr, they could go a number of directions, staying vaguely victorian like Paradise Pier 2.0 and the Lil Mermaid exterior, which would work for a transitory plaza space. Lil Mermaid can
float a little thematically given the connection to the ocean.
Splashing down into a World of Color performance sounds absolutely incredible tbh
Wow great thought, what an intriguing hypothesis. I definitely agree that even a little thrill like on Pirates can make for a sum greater than its parts. If that is more specifically somatic thrill, exerting g-forces on the body, there's another category that I guess would be called "awe" or "wonder"
Moments like the ballroom scene in HM or emerging into the bay between the ship and the fort in Pirates, or the Kylo Ren finale on Rise, which to me feel similarly "dense" with a magical finale scene that lasts only 30 seconds but feels like 2 minutes of more chill set-up time moving through the caves etc.
Instead of physical thrills, these moments of awe/wonder are elicited through really powerful use of story, music, special effects etc. that overwhelm the senses.
Best of all is when you can put them together, but I don't think that will be the emphasis for Coco
